An Expert Explains What To Consider When Choosing Ice For Iced Coffee

Have you ever wondered what kind of ice makes the best iced coffee? We have, so we asked an expert, Jee Choe, coffee and tea sommelier, for the answer and her best iced coffee tips. Choe runs the blog, Oh, How Civilized. For starters, when making iced coffee, Choe wants us to know that we should first consider the size of the ice cube, rather than its shape.

Choe says, "More than the shape, the size of the ice cube makes a difference in iced coffee. I avoid using pebbles sized or smaller ice cubes since they melt quicker, diluting the iced coffee with water and won't keep the drink as cold. The bigger the ice cube, the longer it'll take to melt, keeping the flavor of the coffee intact." Thus, using ice pebbles or tinier cubes is a mistake to avoid when making iced coffee.

When making the ice cubes for your next iced coffee drink, Choe has another tip for you. The type of water you used to make the ice actually matters. She states, "I would also make ice using filtered water if possible." It turns out that making ice with filtered water keeps minerals from affecting the taste of your iced coffee.

We were also curious whether Choe's advice on cube size changes between iced coffee and cold brew. Here's what Choe has to say: "I usually don't use ice in cold brew since the drink is already chilled, but the same ice cube choice should be used for both." So for the cold brew lovers out there, skip the ice if you can, or use larger cubes, and you'll be enjoying a glass of bold cold brew coffee in no time. 

Finally, we were curious about Choe's thoughts on freezing coffee into cubes to use in iced coffee. Choe states, "It's a great idea to freeze coffee into ice cubes for iced coffee so that when the ice cubes melt, it won't alter the flavor of the coffee. But again, I would use bigger sized ice cubes over smaller ones." Just be sure to use filtered water to brew the coffee and a large ice cube tray to make the coffee ice cubes.

For iced coffee ideas and recipes, check out our list of unique iced coffees for the summer, that go far beyond just cold brew.